I've been assaulted by 'INLAND EMPIRE'. It is easily the most arduous film I've ever sat through. My body was literally attacked; Eyes: the repeated flashing, sudden switches and all these grainy close ups. Ears: the sound at times is so unnerving the sheer ferociousness of the screams, electricity and banging. Heart and stomach: the sudden scenes and often uncomfortable situations left my stomach ailing and my heart was pounding at the end. Added to all this is that the film is 3 hours long it makes watching it such a grueling task. One of the first impressions I get from INLAND EMPIRE is that Lynch is setting out to attack Hollywood! This I find slightly perplexing as he constantly reiterates his love for Hollywood in interviews. The film documents the descent of a woman into depravity and danger while trying to document this story as a film within the film itself. This may be confusing and at one point towards the latter end of the film it becomes a story within a story within a story within a story. Sound confusing?... well upon seeing it it becomes clearer (though not the lenses!). Lynch repeatedly attacks vestiges of Hollywood; fickle self-interested "friendships", disloyalty, the abuse of women, falling on hard times, the loss of spirit and good will and most poignantly the inability to really know how people are feeling and if they are genuine. These motifs are constant in the film and are expressed either directly or symbolically through violent shattering scenes. The first hour or so is digestible and often funny thanks to Grace Zabriskie and Harry Dean Stanton. But then when Laura Dern's 1st character enters a door leading her to view herself at the audition we have seen earlier it descends into a visceral onslaught with only sparse and brief moments of reprieve. The colour of the film is dominated by a terracotta hue during the first hour and it simmers during the rest of the film. This I found useful as it achieves a degree to compel which is needed to balance out the tough scenes that make up the final 2/3's. The camera-work is mostly adequate, usually to initiate fear or uncertainty in particular scenes, but at times it becomes exaggeratedly blurred and difficult. This however is obviously Lynch's intention; he wants to completely unnerve his audience, whether this emanates from a desire to keep up his publicly perceived eccentric-ism or motivated by the need to film this way to justifiably showcase his story. I hope and think it is the latter. This is related to the credit sequence, read on! Typical of Lynch there are memorable scenes; the prostitute ensemble, Julia Ormond with a screwdriver in her gut, dream sequences, a bizarre barbecue scene, the eccentric Grace Zabriskie and one of the most frightening scenes I've ever witnessed at the end which all il say is that it involves superimposition! Then there is the credit sequence! It hints at something that im still not very sure of but it is certainly one the most fascinating endings to a film... ever! There is so much going on in it I don't know where to begin. It could act as some sort of resolution for the film, but it also creates a substantial link with 'Mulholland Drive' and even 'Blue Velvet' which then leads to another idea that is backed up by other ingredients of the credit sequence; Lynch has made some sort of evaluation of his own work and the scene it seems is a vitriol against public perception, perhaps dissatisfaction with/of him. This left me thinking whether Lynch is planning to engage a markedly different way in future films or even to pack it in altogether? What also needs mentioning is Nastassja Kinski's role. This has fascinated me equally as Lynch's self appraisal, probably due to the fact that Kinski herself is fascinating. Is Lynch hinting at a link between what he told in INLAND EMPIRE and Ms. Kinski??? I don't know, I have to see this film again
Review of Inland Empire
